1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an improved heating system of an evaporator and a heater, and a method for manufacturing a heat pipe unit of the refrigerator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a refrigerator is comprised of a main body formed with a storage chamber accommodating food therein, and a cooling system provided in the main body, cooling the food accommodated within the storage chamber.
For the convenience's sake to describe the present invention, a kimchi refrigerator comprising a cooling system cooling the storage chamber and a heater raising an inner temperature of the storage chamber will be described by way of example.
Referring to FIG. 10 which is a sectional view of a conventional kimchi refrigerator, the conventional kimchi refrigerator 101 is comprised of a main body 103 having an opening on its top and a door 105 opening and closing the opening.
The main body 103 is comprised of an outer casing 110 defining an outer appearance of the refrigerator, and an inner casing 111 of a cylinder shape accommodated within the outer casing 110, forming a storage chamber 121. Foaming material is filled between the outer casing 110 and the inner casing 111.
On the front upper portion of the outer casing 110 is provided a control panel (not shown) allowing a user to control an operation mode of the kimchi refrigerator to a storage mode or a ripeness mode. In the lower portion of the main body 103 is provided a component chamber 113 accommodating therein devices and units to operate the kimchi refrigerator.
Within the component chamber 113 are installed a compressor 123 compressing a refrigerant to a high temperature and high pressure state, and a condenser (not shown) condensing the compressed refrigerant from the compressor 123 to a low temperature and low pressure state, etc. Alternatively, the condenser may be installed in the space to be filled with the foaming material, formed between the outer casing 110 and the inner casing 111.
On an outer wall of the inner casing 111 are installed an evaporator pipe 133 cooling the inside of the storage chamber 121 by means of the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 123, and a heater pipe 135 raising an inner temperature of the storage chamber 121 to ripen the food accommodated in the storage chamber 121, so as to surround an inner wall of the inner casing 111. Inside the heater pipe 135 is accommodated a hot wire 145 generating heat by means of an electric power supplied from a power supply (not shown).
With this configuration, if the storage mode is selected, a low-temperature refrigerant flows into inside of the evaporator pipe 133, and cool air from the refrigerant flowing inside of the evaporator pipe 133 is transmitted to the inner casing 111, thereby cooling the inside of the storage chamber 121. If the ripeness mode is selected, supply of the refrigerant from the evaporator pipe 133 is suspended, and an electric power is supplied to the heater pipe 135, thereby generating heat from the hot wire 145. The heat generated from the hot wire 145 is transmitted to the inner casing 111 surrounded by the heater pipe 135, thereby increasing the inner temperature of the storage chamber 121. While the refrigerator 101 is being in operation under the storage mode, frost may be produced on the evaporator pipe 133. A defrost mode activating the heater pipe 135 to remove the frost from the evaporator pipe 133 is conducted.
In the conventional kimchi refrigerator, the evaporator pipe and the heater pipe have been manufactured separately, and the cooling and heating functions have been conducted independently, and therefore, the evaporator pipe occupies a cooling surface area for itself relative to the inner casing, and the heater pipe also occupies a heating surface area for itself relative to the inner casing. Where the refrigerator is under the storage mode, a cooling function is supplied in proportion to the cooling surface area of the evaporator pipe. Where the refrigerator is under the ripeness mode and the defrost mode, a heating function is only supplied in correspondence with the heater pipe. Therefore, where the refrigerator is under the storage, ripeness or defrost mode, if both the cooling and heating surface areas corresponding to the evaporator pipe and the heater pipe respectively can be used, the cooling, ripening and defrosting functions may be more improved.
In the conventional kimchi refrigerator, the separate manufacturing of the evaporator pipe and the heater pipe leads to lowering the productivity. In addition, working time to install the evaporator pipe and the heater pipe is prolonged. If the evaporator pipe and the heater pipe can be manufactured in a single unit, this will reduce the number of processes for the production thereof and the time for installation thereof, thereby improving the productivity.